Ghouls, Ghosts, and Goblins - Halloween is Here!

"Halloween is a mixture of ancient Celtic practices, Catholic and Roman religious rituals and European folk traditions that blended together over time to create the holiday we know today. Below are some interesting facts on the origins of All Hallows Eve."

The word "Halloween," comes from All Hallows Eve. November 1, "All Hollows Day" (or "All Saints Day"), a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints.

• In the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31.The holiday was called Samhain (sow-en), the Celtic New Year.
• The Celtic holiday of Samhain, the Catholic Hallowmas period of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day and the Roman festival of Feralia all influence the holiday of Halloween.
• The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Samhain was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter.
• The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased wouldco9me back to live and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops.
• Ancient Celts would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off these roaming ghosts.
• The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840's by Irish immigrants fleeing their country's potato famine.
• Ancient Celts would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off these roaming ghosts.
• The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840's by Irish immigrants fleeing their country's potato famine. At that time, the favorite pranks in New England included tipping over outhouse and unhinging fence gates.
• The custom of trick-or treating is thought to have originated not with the Irish Celts, but with a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes," made out of square pieces of bread with currants. the more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors.
• In the 19th century, Halloween began to lose its religious connotation, becoming a more secular community-based children's holiday.

The information above was found at the following websites:
http://www.history.com/topics/halloween
http://www.halloweenhistory.org (link is now defunct)
http://www.ask.com/question/how-was-halloween-started  (link is now defunct)

The Man and the Ghost - Tibetan Folktale

Once upon a time a man was walking along a narrow mountain path, when he met a ghost. The ghost turned around at once and walked along beside him. The man was very much frightened but didn't care to let the ghost know it. Pretty soon they came to a river which had to be crossed, and as there was no bridge or boat both had to swim it. The man, of course, made a good deal of noise, splashing and paddling the water, while the ghost made none at all.

Said the ghost to the man: "How does it happen that you make so much noise in the water?"

The man answered, "Oh, I am a ghost and have a right to make all the noise I want to."

"Well," the ghost replied, "suppose we two become good friends, and if I can help you I will, and if you can ever aid me you will do so."

The man agreed, and as they walked along the ghost asked him what he feared more than anything else in the world. The man said he wasn't afraid of anything he saw, though inwardly quaking all the while. Then he asked the ghost what he was afraid of. "Of nothing at all," said the host, "but the wind as it blows through the tall-headed barley fields."

By and by they came near a city, and the ghost said he was going in to town. But the man said he was tired and that he would lie down and sleep a while in the barley field at the edge of the city. The ghost went on into town and played havoc, as ghosts generally do. He proceeded to steal the soul of the king's son and tying it up in a yak hair sack carried it out to the edge of the barley field where the man lay asleep, and called out to him, "Here is the soul of the king's son in this bag. I'll leave it here for a while and you can take care of it for me, as I have a little business elsewhere."
For the rest of the story click http://www.sacred-texts.com/asia/tft/tft15.htm

MORE STORIES TO INVITE THE GHOSTS AND BANSHEES IN!

American Folklore ~ Halloween Stories - Regional ghost stories from around the United States; just in time to make your frightful night “ghoul”icious!
http://www.americanfolklore.net/halloween.html

English Folk and Fairy Tales - Lots of fabulous stories await including some tales to add to your Halloween repertories. Goblins, witchcraft, ghosts and drolls are waiting for you just around the corner. Beware! http://tinyurl.com/kvg8kj
  

Edgar Allan Poe- October 11 is the birthday of Edgar Allan Poe. This site offers his short stories, poems, quotes, biography, and additional links. http://www.poestories.com/

Story-Lovers.com - Jackie Baldwin stirs up a witches' brew of stories ideas. Don't forget to check out the Halloween Bare Bones book, the perfect addition to your library!

* Jackie’s site is no longer up but you may still access her amazing resources via the Wayback Machine. Here is the link: https://web.archive.org/web/20160302013423/http://www.story-lovers.com/listshalloweenstories.html

Victorian Ghost Stories -Twenty-two ghost stories from such spectral luminaries as Bram Stoker, Arthur Conan Doyle and Charles Dickens.

http://victorian-studies.net/ghost-stories.html

GOOGLE BOOKS IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN

Can Such Things Be? Short stories, published in 1910, from the talented Ambrose Bierce, courtesy of Gutenberg.org. I am sure you will find some spine-tingling tales to add to your storytelling repertoire. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/4366

Great Ghost Stories by Joseph Lewis French, 1918.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/41170/41170-h/41170-h.htm

Humorous Ghost Stories by Dorothy Scarborough, 1921

https://archive.org/details/humorousghostst00presgoog

 

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

Not Just Halloween: Festivals of the Dead From Around the World
Learn how other cultures celebrate the holiday with this interesting article and complementing links on Japan, Mayan, Aztec, Mexico and more.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/festivals-dead-around-world-180953160/

CRAFTS

Halloween Crafts - Bats, and pumpkins and vampires oh my! Lots of fun, spooky crafts to make your Halloween craft time as easy as saying, trick or treat!
http://tinyurl.com/lbffm7%20

32 Halloween for Kids You Can Make as a Family - Lots of spooktacular ideas for Halloween fun. Activities, recipes, games, costumes, crafts and more. 
https://www.redbookmag.com/home/decor/g3644/diy-halloween-crafts-for-kids/    

Kinderart.com - Ghosts in the Graveyard – Using recycled egg cartons you can create your own ghostly setting. Suitable for all ages.
https://kinderart.com/art-lessons/seasons/autumn/halloween/egg-carton-ghosts/
 
SOMETHING EXTRA

Halloween Jokes - Keep the ghouls howling!
https://parade.com/1056251/marynliles/halloween-jokes/

KidnKaboodle.net - Halloween songs and fingerplays.

http://www.kidnkaboodle.net/fingerplay.html

This is a great song to end a children's storytelling program. Everyone joins in!

Oh, My Darlin' Frankenstein ( Sung to the tune of Oh My Darlin’ Clementine)

Refrain:
Oh, my Darlin', Oh, my darlin', Oh my darlin' Frankenstein

You are lost and gone forever, I'm so sorry Frankenstein.

I was working with my test tube in my laboratory fine,
When one day I broke my glasses, and I made poor Frankenstein. He was handsome, he was charming and his head I screwed on tight. His teeth were sharp, and pearly and his eyes popped out at night!

Refrain

Then Dracula came to help me but from him I had to part. He cooked my steak too tough for dinner, so I drove it through his heart!

Refrain

Then the Wolfman came to help me. I said, “What’s that in your mouth?” He said, “Fangs.” I said, “Your welcome.” Now he’s probably headed south.

Refrain

Frankenstein was in the kitchen; he was mixing up a cake,
when he fell into the mixer and got mixed in by mistake!

Refrain

Cooking nicely in the oven, Oh the cake it came out fine,
Told my friends those lumps were raisins, but those lumps were FRANKENSTEIN!

Refrain

If you don't know the tune to "Oh  My Darlin Clementine" you may listen to it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDjTMRyXKLg 
A different, longer version may be found here: 
https://www.poetry4kids.com/poems/oh-my-darling-frankenstein/

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and web inks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links.  At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

Karen Chace  2011 ©
This blog post was painstakingly researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission, please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my newsletter via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Fall Into Fun with the October Story Cafe!

This will be our final Story Cafe for 2010. If you have been before, please come again. If not, we love new faces and talents. Take your turn at the open mic then sit back and enjoy the stories and music of our talented feature. Help us close out our second full year with a full house!

Music, Mystery, Merriment & Magic!
Featuring Tim Van Egmond
Saturday, October 16, 2010

Tim Van Egmond weaves together tales, tunes, and songs to share their wellspring of wisdom, humor, warmth, and excitement! He will serve up a refreshing dipperful, from a captivating Irish tale (with the rippling accompaniment of the hammered dulcimer) about a man's quest to learn an enchanted tune, to a gripping African story of judgment set to the driving rhythm of the hand drum.

Tim has been chosen for the New England States Touring Program (under the New England Foundation for the Arts), has been a featured performer at the Three Apples Storytelling Festival, and presented a number of workshops at Sharing the Fire Northeast Storytelling Conference (including one on music in storytelling).

As a member of the contra dance band Swallowtail Tim has performed nationwide, including appearances on National Public Radio's "A Prairie Home Companion" and at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. He's recorded three albums with the band, and has played on various other recordings as well. He is also a member of the folk singing duo "Yankee Notions," which has performed throughout New England and beyond, including heritage museums such as Old Sturbridge Village and Mystic Seaport .


"Tim is a triple treat. He can sing, he can play a variety of wonderful instruments, and he can tell whopping good tales!" ~ Jane Yolen, author and storyteller

ADULT OPEN MIC: Sign up for your eight minute (maximum) turn at the mic beginning at 7:00 p.m. Share your own story, song, music, essay or poem.
TIME: 7:00 P.M. – 9:00 P.M. (Feature begins at 8:00 P.M.)
LOCATION: Artworks, 384 Acushnet Avenue, New Bedford, MA
ADMISSION: FREE (pass the hat for the featured performers)
AUDIENCE: 14 and older
For more information email Karen Chace at storybug@aol.com  or call Artworks at (508) 984-1588.
DIRECTIONS: http://www.artworksforyou.org/hours.html
PARKING: http://tinyurl.com/5qdafo


THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN NEW BEDFORD
Come early and take a stroll along the fishing docks or bring your bike, enjoy the ocean breeze and ride around beautiful Fort Taber . Prefer something easier? There is the interesting and historical Whaling Museum.

Later you can enjoy a "flight of wine" and fresh hot or cold tapas at Corks or award-winning chowder (chowda) at Freestones before the show or a night cap afterwards.

How about a trip to one of the best small zoo's in the country? The Buttonwood Park Zoo is an easy drive from downtown. New Bedford also has National Park status and there are many things to enjoy. Say goodbye to summer and spend a day exploring and then relax in the beauty of ArtWorks listening to stories and song. I can't think of a better way to spend a gorgeous autumn day!

History, Heritage and Community

This is a rare opportunity to learn from professional folklorist and author Dale Jarvis of Newfoundland. Dale will be the featured storyteller at the
September 18, 2010 Story Cafe and will offer his Storytelling and Historical Interpretation Workshop on Saturday morning September 18, 2010. (details below)

Make a day of it! Come to the workshop and afterwards you can take a tour of historical New Bedford. The Whaling Museum and National Park building is right around the corner, have dinner then return to the Story Cafe, which begins at 7:00 p.m. Click on the Story Cafe link above and scroll down to the "Things To Do in New Bedford" section for some fun ideas.

Storytelling and Historical Interpretation Workshop

Calling all museum and historic site staff, teachers, librarians, archivists, docents, tour guides, and history-loving storytellers! How do you search out stories in your community, tell these stories and make history come alive? Where are our community stories? What is heritage value? What can artifacts tell us?

Join heritage conservationist and storyteller Dale Jarvis for a half-day workshop on storytelling for museum and historic site workers. Through this workshop you will learn to utilize story telling for more engaging historical interpretation. Learn the basic principles of cultural interpretation, and what it means for a storyteller. Hear how fact and fiction blended together to become the chilling and entertaining tales of the St. John’s Haunted Hike ghost tour. Dale will talk about how he uses archives and oral history to find his stories, and bring them to life.

DATE: Saturday, September 18, 2010
TIME: 11:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. 
LOCATION: ArtWorks 384 Acushnet Avenue, New Bedford, MA
DIRECTIONS: http://www.artworksforyou.org/hours.html
COST: $55.00
This includes a light lunch or if you prefer you can bring something of your own as we cannot accommodate and special dietary requests. Registration and a $15.00 deposit are required. To register contact Alicia Moretti at ArtWorks at (508) 984-1588.*
PARKING:  There are two parking areas within easy walking distance to ArtWorks: Elm Street Parking Garage and Custom House Parking. http://tinyurl.com/ylx2akr It is recommended that you don't park on the street as there is a two hour limit on metered parking.

* A minimum of six participants are needed for the workshop to take place. Registrants will be notified by Thursday, September 16 if the workshop has been canceled.

About the Instructor 

Dale Jarvis is a heritage conservationist and professional folklorist and author living and working in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. He holds a B.Sc. (Honours) in Anthropology from Trent University and an MA in Folklore from Memorial University of Newfoundland.

He has been working as a heritage officer with the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador since 1995, and currently serves as Newfoundland and Labrador’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Officer. He is Past President of the Newfoundland Historic Trust, and the author of three popular books on Newfoundland folklore, published by Flanker Press.

As a storyteller, Dale is the founder of the St. John's Storytelling Circle, and a coordinator of the St. John's Storytelling Festival. He has performed and taught at storytelling festivals and conferences across Canada, the USA, England and Norway. Since 1997, Dale has been the host of the St. John's Haunted Hike, a walking ghost tour through the historic streets of St. John's.

He regularly gives courses on storytelling for historical interpretation for community and regional museums and historic sites, and has provided workshops for Parks Canada, the Federation of Nova Scotian Heritage, Northlands Storytelling Network, and Storytellers of Canada/Conteurs du Canada.

This will be an exciting day and evening. Please join us! Questions? Email me at storybug@aol.com.

By the Light of the Silvery Moon...

 Prelude to Water Melody

~ Su Shi, Poet
                               

THINKING OF YOU
by Su Tung Po

When will the moon be clear and bright?
With a cup of wine in my hand, I ask the blue sky.
I don't know what season it would be in the heavens on this night.

I'd like to ride the wind to fly home.
Yet I fear the crystal and jade mansions are much too high and cold for me.

Dancing with my moon-lit shadow,
It does not seem like the human world.
The moon rounds the red mansion stoops to silk-pad doors, Shines upon the sleepless bearing no grudge,

Why does the moon tend to be full when people are apart?
People may have sorrow or joy, be near or far apart,
The moon may be dim or bright, wax or wane,
This has been going on since the beginning of time.
May we all be blessed with longevity.
Though far apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together

September 22 begins the celebration of the Chinese Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Its history dates back 2000 years. It is traditionally celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunisolar month. The festival is the second most important festival after the Spring Festival to the Chinese people. The full moon is a symbol of peace and prosperity for the whole family, symbolizing wholeness and togetherness.

"This is a day to worship the moon god. According to folk legend, this day is also the birthday of the earth god (T'u-ti Kung) and a day to worship the moon god.  People express their gratitude to heaven (represented by the moon) and earth (symbolized by the earth god) for the blessings they have enjoyed over the past year.

The Chinese believe in praying to the moon god for protection, family unity, and good fortune. On this day, the moon is at its roundest and brightest. This is also a time for lovers to tryst and pray for togetherness, symbolized by the roundness of the moon. Unlike most other Chinese festivals, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a low-key holiday, characterized by peace and elegance." Learn more about this beautiful festival at http://kevdesign.com/midautumnfestival/index.htm

STORIES

You won’t have to search the stars for folktales celebrating the beautiful moon!

Legend of the Lady in the Moon - China
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/essential/holidays/mid-autumn-legends.htm 

The Lady of the Moon - China

http://tinyurl.com/23vbvss

A Coat for the Moon – Jewish

http://tinyurl.com/3973wom

How the Great Chief Made the Moon and the Sun – Native American
http://tinyurl.com/2f4leqz

How the Moon Became Beautiful – China
Found in The Gold Path Reader, published in 1912; now available through Google books.
https://archive.org/details/goldenpathbooka01stevgoog

The Moon and the Great Snake – Native American
http://tinyurl.com/29bem28

Moonflower - Japan
http://tinyurl.com/2v33wxt

Sun, Moon and Talia – Italy
http://tinyurl.com/2whabo4

Why the Sun and the Stars Receive Their Light from the Sun - Africa

http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/books/africa/barker/whymoonstars.html

CRAFT

In the evenings, children carry lanterns of all shapes and sizes. The bearing of lanterns and the origin of mooncakes date back to a 14th century revolt by the Chinese against the Mongols.

Make your own Chinese Lantern
http://kevdesign.com/midautumnfestival/lanternrelated.htm


THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MOON CAKE

"During the Yuan Dynasty (1280 A.D - 1368 A.D), China was ruled by the Mongols. The Mongols did not eat mooncakes and the Chinese were quick to take advantage of that. They found an innovative way of coordinating the revolt. Leaders of the revolt distributed the mooncakes among the common people under the pretext of celebrating the Emperor's long life. Each mooncake had an outline of the attack baked within its skin. The secret message informed the people to revolt on the 15th of the 8th moon (also the Autumn Moon festival). On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government. Since then the mooncakes became a national tradition of China."
http://www.theholidayspot.com/mid_autumn/legends.htm

• Mooncakes are also known as "reunion cakes" as family members gather to partake of the sweet confectionery.
• Traditional mooncakes have an imprint on top consisting of the Chinese characters for “longevity” or “harmony” as well as the name of the bakery and filling in the moon cake. Imprints of a moon, a woman on the moon, flowers, vines, or a rabbit may surround the characters for additional decoration.
• They are eaten throughout the month before the actual festival day.
• During the Qing dynasty, mooncakes were renamed "moonflowers".
• The Empress Dowager Ci Xi staged rituals for an elaborate moon festival lasting from the 13th through the 17th day of the eighth lunar month.
• Some Chinese families today still stay up late to observe the occasion eating mooncakes, sipping tea and gazing at the beautiful moon. It is regarded the perfect moment if someone catches the moon's reflection in the centre of his or her teacup.
• During the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279 AD), moon cakes were also called “small cakes” and “moon balls.”

RECIPE

Easy to Make Chinese Moon Cakes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup salted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup strawberry (or your favorite) jam (traditionally red bean paste is used so if you want a more authentic version, you can use a can of red bean paste instead of the jam).

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Combine the butter, sugar and 1 egg yolk and stir.
• Mix in the flour.
• Form the dough into one large ball and wrap it in plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate dough for half an hour.
• Unwrap the chilled dough and form small balls in the palms of your hand. 
• Make a hole with your thumb in the center of each mooncake and fill with about half a teaspoon of jam.
• Brush each cake with the other beaten egg yolk and place on a cookie sheet.
• Bake for about 20 minutes or just until the outside edges are slightly brown.
• Eat and enjoy!

Karen Chace 2010 ©

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links.  At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Say Goodbye to Summer in Style at the September Story Cafe!

Not in my time, and not in your time:

The folktales of Newfoundland

Featuring Storyteller and Author Dale Jarvis

 of Newfoundland

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Let storyteller and folklorist Dale Jarvis whisk you away to a fog-shrouded island of flying boats, giants, missing fingers, fairies, phantoms, and a well-travelled fellow by the name of Jack!

Dale Jarvis is a professional performer and folklorist living in Newfoundland, Canada. The proprietor of the St. John's Haunted Hike ghost tour, Dale tells ghost stories, faerie stories, legends and traditional tales from Newfoundland, Labrador, Ireland, United Kingdom and beyond. Columnist and author of several books, he is a tireless promoter of the oral tradition.

"Dale's telling style was masterful-- confident on stage, with a strong, clear voice, thoughtfully placed gestures, rhetorical flourishes that harkened back to an earlier era, a playful attitude toward the audience, and a deferential one toward the story." ~ Tim Ereneta, Storyteller, Performance Artist

"A teller of spine tingling tales that are so convincing that even if you don't believe in ghosts, you soon will!"  ~ Wayne Rostad, On the Road Again (Award Winning Canadian Broadcasting Television Program)

ADULT OPEN MIC: Sign up for your eight minute (maximum) turn at the mic beginning at 7:00 p.m. Share your own story, song, music, essay or poem.

TIME: 7:00 P.M. – 9:00 P.M. (Feature begins at 8:00 P.M.)

LOCATION: Artworks, 384 Acushnet Avenue, New Bedford, MA

ADMISSION: FREE (pass the hat for the featured performers)

AUDIENCE: 14 and older For more information email Karen Chace at storybug@aol.com  or call Artworks at

(508) 984-1588

DIRECTIONS:  http://www.artworksforyou.org/hours.html

Sponsored by Artworks! Partners for the Arts & Community http://www.artworksforyou.org/

ArtWorks! is supported in part by the MCC as well as business and individual members

THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN NEW BEDFORD

Come early and take a stroll along the fishing docks or bring your bike, enjoy the ocean breeze and ride around beautiful Fort Taber . Prefer something easier? There is the interesting and historical Whaling Museum.

Later you can enjoy a "flight of wine" and fresh hot or cold tapas at Corks or award-winning chowder (chowda) at Freestones before the show or a night cap afterwards.

New Bedford has National Park status and there are many things to enjoy. Say goodbye to summer and spend a day exploring and then relax in the beauty of ArtWorks listening to stories and song. I can't think of a better way to spend a summer Saturday!

Healing the World...One Story at a Time

New England Storytelling Conference
SHARING THE FIRE 2011
League for the Advancement
of New England Storytelling

Call For Workshop Proposals for the LANES’ annual Sharing the Fire: New England Storytelling Conference on March 18-20, 2011, in Warwick, Rhode Island. This year is the 30th anniversary of Sharing the Fire. The theme of this year’s conference, “Healing the World ...One Story at a Time” will focus on innovative and diverse ways that Storytelling can affect positive change in the 21st century. For example:

~Building our Communities
~Nurturing Our Spirits
~Bridging our Differences
~Connecting with Nature

We have a truly exceptional Keynote Speaker, Odds Bodkin, and now it’s time to procure, evaluate and select the workshops for the conference. The Evaluation Committee will focus on workshops that address our theme. The Call for Proposal instructions and form are posted on the LANES website. The deadline for submission is September 17, 2010.

Got Stories?

It's preview night! Get a front row seat and be the first to hear stories and celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Mohegan Storytelling and Music Festival! You won't to want to miss a word!